TenAll the Foods We Loveand Ten Perfect Recipes for Each

Steak. Burgers. Chocolate. Pasta. Ice cream. Shrimp. The first asparagus of spring, corn and tomatoes from the height of summer. These are the foods people love passionately and unconditionally. Sheila Lukins identifies 32 of them, from prime rib and other Important Roasts to perfect Hors d'oeuvres. Then she obsessively offers the ten very best recipes for each, and voilà: Ten, the dazzling be-all and end-all cookbook from one of America's most beloved food writers, coauthor of The Silver Palate Cookbook and The New Basics Cookbook.

The result of her hard work and culinary magic is pure perfection, the peak, a repertoire of pure crave. Ten is the ten best roast chicken recipes, including Asian-Scented Orange Chicken and Pot-Roasted Chicken Santiago. The ten best burgers, with a classic Bacon Swiss Burger with Tomato and Avocado. Ten best mashed potatoes—try Sheila's silky, sexy Lobster Mashed Potatoes. The ten best leafy salads, featuring Sheila's Frisee and Apple Salad. Ten best grain dishes—the Wheat Berry Salad with Pineapples and Cranberries will liven up any menu. Ten best pastas with a Rustic Rigatoni that, when paired with a Chianti Classico or Montepulciano, will score a 10 as a weeknight dinner. And, Sheila has not neglected the sweet tooth with riches such as Brooklyn Brownies and Aunt Sabella's Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing in the Chocolate chapter, and a classic Marble Cake and Laurie's Lemon Spice Cake in the Cakes and Tea Cakes chapter. A chapter is also dedicated to Fruit Desserts and another to Ice Creams and Sorbets—Sheila says, "There's always room for ice cream!"

While Sheila was cooking up a storm in her kitchen, she remembered the many great recipes from chefs whose food she admired (and scored a 10 in her book). So she sprinkled in a few: Tom Colicchio's Roasted Rack of Pork, Judy Rodgers's Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken with Savory Bread Salad, Anthony Bourdain's Choucroute Garni, Tom Valenti's Braised Duck, and Daniel Boulud's Chicken Grand-Mere Francine.

With 24 pages of full-color photographs, Sheila's sage kitchen wisdom sprinkled throughout in sidebars on everything from choosing the best vanilla and picking the best pineapple to wine pairings as well as charming commentary from Sheila, Ten is a celebration of the best of the best.

Ten is a Main Selection of the Good Cook Book Club.

About the Author

Sheila Lukins helped change the way Americans eat with her bestselling cookbook The Silver Palate Cookbook. She is also the co-author of Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook and The New Basics, co-authored with Julee Rosso. Her other delicious works include, All Around the World Cookbook, USA Cookbook and Celebrate!. Lukins has received numerous awards for her contributions to the food world, including being inducted in the James Beard Foundations Cookbook Hall of Fame. She is the long-time food editor and columnist for Parade magazine. She lives in New York City.